Ignatius writes that "I was given an exclusive look at some of these remarkable documents by a senior administration official. They have been declassified and will be available soon to the public in their original Arabic texts and translations." He adds that "U.S. analysts don't see evidence that these plots have materialized."

But, says Ignatius, they are "a chilling reminder that even when he was embattled and in hiding, bin Laden still dreamed of pulling off another spectacular terrorist attack against the United States."